Microsoft updates the IE10 preview, but you need Windows 8 to use it

Good news users of the Windows 8 Developer Preview build, Microsoft has a goody for you: the fourth Platform Preview of Internet Explorer 10 is out, and only you get to use it.

Yes, as before, if you don’t have Windows 8 running on something, and why wouldn’t you, you are completely out of luck. Happily, Windows 8 is free for the time being, so you can rectify your Luddite position if you have sufficient chops and drive. To be clear, the Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview for Windows 7 hasn’t been updated since version two, back in June. This new Platform Preview is Windows 8 only.

We’ll pause for a moment if you need to catch up.

Right, here is the skinny on the new code: “[The new Platform Preview] adds even more support for HTML5 technologies, enabling richer Web applications with significantly improved performance.” That’s Microsoft-speak for it being faster, and more compliant with web standards. Remember when Internet Explorer did not do the ‘standards’ dance at all? Those were darker days.

Internet Explorer 10, when it comes out, will only run on Windows 7 and 8, leaving Vista (ha), and XP (the ancient) in the past. Microsoft is moving to effectively strangle anything before Windows 7; everything before it is either underpowered, disappointing, or old. Or all three. With Internet Explorer 10, the company is moving to build on its (relative) success of Internet Explorer 9, a product that turned around the IE ship, saving it from complete erosion.

TNW finds the touch edition of Internet Explorer 10 to be quite usable. We’re somewhat interested in what this new version will mean in practice, and if we find anything worthy, will bring it to you.